Quick answer: Yes — many urgent care clinics have on-site X-ray equipment and can image suspected fractures, sprains, and chest complaints during your visit. IM&PC offers in-house X-rays at our clinics, so most patients get imaged and get answers in a single trip.
What Urgent Care X-Rays Can Show
On-site radiography covers the great majority of what sends people to urgent care with an injury:
- Suspected broken bones — wrists, ankles, hands, feet, arms, collarbones, ribs
- Sprains and dislocations, where imaging rules a fracture in or out
- Chest complaints — persistent cough, pneumonia, or shortness of breath
- Swallowed or inhaled foreign objects that are visible on film
- Joint pain that has not improved, including arthritis changes
- Sinus imaging in selected cases
Having the X-ray in the building matters more than it sounds. Without it, a possible fracture means a visit, a referral, a second appointment somewhere else, and a wait for results. With it, you are typically imaged, read, and splinted or treated in one sitting.
What X-Rays Cannot Show
X-rays image dense tissue well and soft tissue poorly. They will not reliably show:
- Torn ligaments, tendons, or cartilage — an ACL or meniscus tear needs MRI
- Muscle strains and bruising
- Very small hairline fractures in the first days after injury. Some become visible only once healing begins, which is why we sometimes re-image in 7 to 10 days.
- Most soft-tissue infections and abscesses, which are better assessed by ultrasound or CT
If your injury needs advanced imaging, we will tell you that at the visit and arrange the referral rather than leaving you to work it out.
What the Visit Looks Like
An X-ray itself takes only a few minutes. Expect roughly this sequence:
- A provider examines the injury and decides whether imaging is warranted
- You remove jewelry or metal near the area; you may change into a gown
- The technologist positions the limb and takes two or more views from different angles — a single view can hide a fracture
- Images are reviewed and discussed with you
- Treatment follows the same visit: splinting, a boot or sling, pain management, and orthopedic referral if needed
Radiation exposure from a standard extremity or chest X-ray is very low. Tell the technologist if you are or might be pregnant, and shielding or an alternative approach will be considered.
When to Go to the ER Instead
Urgent care is the right setting for most minor injuries. Go directly to an emergency department for:
- Bone visibly protruding through the skin, or an obviously deformed limb
- Heavy bleeding that does not stop with pressure
- A suspected broken hip, pelvis, skull, or spine
- Head injury with loss of consciousness, vomiting, confusion, or worsening headache
- Chest pain with sweating, nausea, or pain radiating to the arm or jaw — call 911
- Severe shortness of breath
- A limb that is cold, blue, or numb below the injury
If you are unsure, call us. We would rather redirect you in 30 seconds on the phone than have you wait in the wrong place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an appointment for an X-ray?
For injury-related imaging during an urgent care visit, no — walk-ins are welcome during urgent care hours. Call ahead if you want to confirm current wait times.
Will I get my results the same day?
In most cases yes. A provider reviews the images during your visit and discusses findings before you leave. Some studies receive an additional radiologist read afterward.
Can children have X-rays at urgent care?
Yes. Pediatric imaging is routine, using the lowest practical exposure. As a combined internal medicine and pediatric clinic, we image patients of every age.
Do I need a referral?
Not for imaging ordered during your visit here. If you were referred from elsewhere for a standalone X-ray, call first so we can confirm what is needed.
Injured? Get Imaged and Treated in One Visit
In-house X-rays mean you are not sent across town for answers. IM&PC sees patients of every age at both of our Mississippi clinics — New Albany and Saltillo. Call to schedule, or walk in during urgent care hours.
This article is general health information from Internal Medicine & Pediatric Clinic and is not a substitute for individual medical advice. Talk with your provider about your own situation. If you think you are facing a medical emergency, call 911.